A.H. 537 and had his early education and upbringing in Khorasan. His
father died when he was 15. He had two brothers. On the divisionof the
property left by his father, he got a garden and a water-mill and made
a living by theincome derived from it. On contact with Ibrahim Kanduzi
(the ecstatic) majzub. Who one day came to his garden, he lost
interest in wordy possessions, sold the garden and other belongings
and distributed the proceedsamong the poor. He thenset out in search
of God. He first went to Bokhara and then to Samarkand where he learnt
the Quran by heart and acquired worldly knowledge. He them proceeded
to Iraq adding to his knowledgein the company o scholars and religious
persons like Shaikh Najmuldin Kubra, ShaikhAbdul Qadir Jilani, Shaikh
Ziauddin and Shaikh Shahabuddin Suharwardi. In Harvan village he
become disciple of Hardrat Shaikh Usman Harvani.
From Ghazna, Khawaja Moinuddin reached Lahore and stayed near the
Mazzars of Shailkh Hussain Zanjani and Shaikh Ali Usman Hajveri.He
remained in Lahore for some months and leftfor Delhi where he stayed
near the tomb of Shaikh Rashid Makki which had a mosque adjacent to
it. Delhi and Ajmer were then under the sovereignty of Raja Prithvi
Rai(also known as Rai Pithora), whose agents created hinderances in
the way of Khwaja Moinuddin and his companions, but he overcame all
these obstacles. Under Khawaja Sahib's influence, Hindus embraced
Islam in large numbers, including some of Rai Pithora's countries and
nobles; Apprised of this, Rai Pithora ordered Khawaja's arrest. Or,
hearing of it, Khwaja Moinuddin said: I have handed Pithora to
Muslims; soon after, Sultan Shahabuddin Ghori defeated Rai Pithora at
Tarawari in A.H. 588. Rai Pithora was captured near the bank of
Sarasvati river and put to death. After the victory, Islam spread all
over India. Under influence of Moinuddin and his spiritual
descendants, as many as 9 million Hindus were converted to Islam.
Today the descendants of these converts count more then 36. Khwaja's
life style was that of extreme simplicity, his hermit-like dress was
double stitched and was usually patched with rages. In his early
asceticdays, he would fast for 7 days on end, and break the fast with
a piece of bread. Khawaja Moinuddin slept little. Usually he offered
his morning prayers with the ablution performed for the previous
eveningprayer. He had the Quranin the morning and at night.
The Chistia silsila originated form the town of Chisht situated in
Afghanistan. Some 66 miles East of Herat, Chisht is now a small
village on the banks of river Hari Rood known, as Khawaja Chisht.
Chishita order flourishedin the sub-continent, while its other
branches did not survive for long in other Islamic countries. Shaikh
Abu Ishaque Shami (d. 329 A.H.) pioneered silsila Chishtia.
In the Indo-Pakistan sub-continet, it was Kahwaja Moinuddin Sijziwho
laid foundations of the Chishti silsila and worked out its
principlesat Ajmer which was thenthe seat of Chauhan Rajput politics
power. Khawaja Sahib was the embodiment of Islamic virtues and had
gained fame for this remarkablespiritual achievements. He also
performed numerous Karamat (miracles).
Prof. Khaleeq Ahmad Nizami writes: 'Ajmer was not merely the seat of
Chouhan power; it was religious centre alsowhere thousands of pilgrims
assembled from far and near, Shaikh Moinuddin's determination to work
out the principles of Islamic tassawuf at a place of such political
and religious significance shows greatself confidence. The Kahawaja
worked in themidst of a Hindu population which looked ask once at
everyforeigner. Khawaja Moinuddin's stay in Ajmer must have been a
serious trial for the promotion of Islam. On his success or failure in
Ajmer depended the future of the Islamic sufic movement in Hindustan."
The ruler and the high cast Hindus disliked Khawaja Sahib nevertheless
the common peoples flockedto him. Khawaja Moinuddin's life was that of
simplicity, piety and devotion to the cause of Islam. He alwayslaid
stress to assist the helpless and to feed the hungry.
He had an extraordinary capacity of overlooking faults and for
remissions.He held his disciples and Khalifas most dear. Food was
cooked in abundance in his public kitchen and the poor, travelers,
strangers, students, guest, beggars,had their fill. For his kitchen he
did not take asingle pie from anyone. When all was spent, he lifted
the corner of his prayer carpet for the deceased and burial , when all
had left the graveyard he sat by himself by the grave.
At the mention of the Day of Resurrection he fell to weeping and
sometimes cried cloud. Kahwaja Sahib followed religious injunctions
andwas very particular about observing religious ceremonies. He
recited the Duaa frequently and advised his disciples to do the same.
When he expatiated on the sayings of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) he was
overcome with tears. He was transported when he referred to the life
of the Prophet (S.A.W). He has said somewhere in his writings: the
presence of the Holy Prophet. There would beno place for a person;
where will he go "he said". Having said this Khawaja Sahib cried
aloud.
All though his life, Khawaja Sahib was transported by love of Allah;
he was equally carried away by his love of the holy Prophet (S.A.W).
SAMAA or music is permissible in Chishti traditions. Khawaja had a
taste for it. It is recorded in Dalil-ul-Arifin that once,
whenresiding in Hazrat Abu Yousuf Chishti's monastery, hearing the
following verses in the musical assembly he remained in a state of
trance for two days.
"The lover is carried wayby the longing for the beloved
And is transported by the memory of his love.
Tomorrow when the people would fell lost onthe Day of Resurrection.
Thy name will resound in the breast and ears."
Khawaja Sahib maintains that music leads to insight into Creator. It
is a blessing inthree ways, i.e. illumination, states and signs; and
these pertain to the soul heart and thebody.
TEACHINGS
Khawaja Mo'in-ud-Din Chishti's teachings are extremely illuminating ,'
They may be summarized as follow:-
1. To Trust in God and noto desire any thing from anyone else:
2. One who is God's friend must be found to have the following
attributes:, Company of the righteous generosity, kindness
andcourtesy.
3. Three thing are the ornament of the soul: Befriending the enemy,
hiding one's own poverty and sorrows andsufferings from others,
complete trust in God;
4. The steadfast disciple is one who says the morning prayer and is
intoxicated by its enjoyment and memory till the next morning;
5. To be subject to some calamity or disease is a token of sound faith;
6. Love the poor, and avoid lying the backbiting;
7. God loves him who loves poverty and sickness.
8. One who repudiates prayer and the law of God is an infidel;
9. Alms giving is more praise-worthy than a thousand voluntary prayers;
10. Abusing a believer is like adultery with one's own mother or
sister, the prayer of such a person is not heard.
11. One who helps the needy is the friend of God. If a person engaged
in prayer or a religious duty is approaching by a needy person, he
should stop his prayer or religious duty, and attend to him and help
him according to his means;
12. The highest piety is to remember death;
13. Three persons shall never in-hale the fragrance of paradise; the
dervish who tells lies, a miser and a fraudlent merchant;
14. In addition to the prescribed acts of worship (prayer and fast),
the following five acts of devotion are incumbent upon the sufic.
Serving one's parents, reciting the Qu'ran respecting and be-friending
the ulema, paying a visit to Khana Ka'ba, devotion to the spiritual
guide;
15. Apart from other sinful acts, the neophyte must abstain from these
sins: laughing in a graveyard, eating and drinking there, for it is a
place of warning, oppression, and not to tremble on taking God's name;
16. The proof of the Arif's love is this that apart from repeating
God's name he should beattached to nothing else;
17. For the Ahl-e-Tariqat on the way to Saluk the following ten things
are imperative: Observance of paryer and fast, fear of God,
Steadfastness in Shari'at, abstinence in food, less sleeping, les
talking, less intercourse with people, search for truth, desire for a
perfect spiritual guide, respect, resignation, love an avoidance of
excess;
18. Likewise the following are necessary for Ahl-e-Haqeeqat: To be
perfect in ma'rfat to abstain from doing harmand giving pain to
others, holding such converse with people as may do them good here and
the world to come, to be courteous, to cultivate privacy, love and
hold others dear and think one self to be less than others,
submissions to the will of God, patience and resignance in adversity,
humility, sympathy and pity, contentment and reliance on God, frequent
recital of Darud;
19. To recite Darud frequently;
20. Praise God and perform routine duties before the spiritual guide
and abstain from relating his experience to anyone else;
21. Reading the writings of the auliya is beneficial.
It is related in Sair-ul-Aqtab that on the night Hardrat Kahawaja
Moin-ud-Din passed away, he shut the doors of his closet after evening
prayer and directed his friends not to come there. His special
intimates lingered near the closet and they heard all along the
thumping of feet heard when the lovers of God are in a state of
ecstasy. Late in the nightthe sound stopped. Afterthe morning prayer
his special disciples knockedat the door the called out but received
no reply from within. They broke open the door thefound that Hadrat
Khawaja had passed away. On his forehead was written in characters of
light "Haza Habib Ma'fi hubb Allah. (God's beloved emerges in His
love).
He died on Monday, the sixteh of Rajab 633 A.H. The greatest miracle
of Hazrat Khawaja Mo'in-ud-Din Chishti Ajmeri is that due to the
efforts ofthe line established by him as many as nine million persons
embraced Islam. His second miracles was thatwhatever sinner and
dissolute he looked at forthwith repented of his sins for ever. Dargah
of Chishti still Khawaja Mo'in-ud-Din vibrates with spiritual power.
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And Allah Knows the Best!
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Published by :->
M NajimudeeN Bsc- INDIA
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